


Music of My Heart

by ReddieOrNot (cajungirlkye)



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Au Pair, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, M/M, Minor Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Minor Bill Denbrough/Mike Hanlon, Minor Patricia Blum Uris/Stanley Uris, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Will be rated M or E eventually but waiting until I know for sure which it'll be, smut in later chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:27:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25079863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cajungirlkye/pseuds/ReddieOrNot
Summary: Divorced dad Eddie Kaspbrak is the lead singer of rock band The Kissing Bridge. When he unexpectedly has to take his six-year-old son, Owen, on his summer tour he hires temporary au-pair Richie Tozier. Soon Eddie finds himself falling for Richie, but will he listen to his head, which is telling him that Richie's presence in his and Owen's lives is just temporary, or his heart, which is telling him otherwise?
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Former Eddie Kaspbrak/Myra Kaspbrak, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 15
Kudos: 37





	1. Chapter 1

Eddie Kaspbrak paced around his kitchen as his grip tightened on his phone. "What do you  _ mean _ you can't take Owen for the summer?" he said. " _ You're _ the one who insisted that you get him every other weekend, for fall and spring breaks, half of Christmas break,  _ and _ all summer since he mostly lives with me during the school year!"

His ex-wife huffed out a breath on the other end. "Well, I just can't this time, Eddie. I'd ask my parents to keep him but they're leaving for that world cruise on Tuesday, and besides, Charles said he needs a certified nurse as his assistant and specifically asked  _ me _ to go with him." 

"Well then let him find someone else, Myra, because you  _ knew  _ I was going on tour this summer! It's not like I can just call up my manager, bandmates, road crew, the venues, and the thousands of ticketholders and tell them, 'oh, sorry, change of plans -- I have to cancel my sold-out tour since my ex-wife wants to fuck off on vacation with her boyfriend for two months!" 

He heard Myra suck in a breath. "Edward Kaspbrak, don't you dare take that tone with me. We may not be married anymore but don't you think for one  _ second _ that I can't take you back to court--"

Eddie pinched his nose and took a deep breath. He absolutely adored his son and wouldn't give him up for anything, but dealing with his ex-wife definitely tested his patience. "I'm sorry, Myra. It's -- it's whatever. I'll just take Owen on tour with me."

Myra scoffed. "And do what with him? Parade him around on stage in front of all those people, those… those  _ groupies _ ?"

Eddie bit back a sarcastic remark. "Of course not," he replied instead. "I'll hire someone who can watch him while I'm busy with soundcheck and meet-and-greets on performance days and the days when I have interviews or other things scheduled. Otherwise he'll be with me most of the time. And besides, you know the rest of the band. They all adore Owen and will help keep an eye on him." 

Myra was silent for a moment. "Fine," she said eventually. "But I want final approval of whoever you hire."

"Ok, that's fine." 

"Oh, and Eddie…"

Eddie could feel Myra hesitating over the phone. "What is it, Myra?"

"Is it okay if I keep Owen for a few extra days this weekend?"

All remaining frustration Eddie had been carrying drained out of him. "Yeah, of course. How about you just go ahead and keep him for the week and I'll pick him up Saturday night since we're leaving on Sunday?"

"That would be great."

Eddie glanced at the clock.  _ 10 minutes until Owen gets home from school. _ "Hey, I've gotta run -- Owen will be home soon, so I'll bring him by your house in a couple of hours."

"Ok. Thanks, Eddie."

"Mmm hmm. Bye."

Eddie hung up then sent a quick text message to Stan, his manager.  **_Myra can't keep Owen for the summer so he has to come on tour with me. Any chance you can find someone who's willing to travel on a bus for 3 months and watch my kid?_ **

He set his phone down on the counter and hurried to fix Owen's after-school snack. He had just finished arranging some apple slices and peanut butter into a silly face on a plate and had set a glass of milk down on the table when the door opened. 

"Daddy!" Owen said happily as he ran inside followed by Patty, Stan's wife.

"Hey, bud!" Eddie stooped down to give Owen a hug. "How was your last day of school?"

"Good."

Eddie turned to Patty. "Thanks again for picking him up for me, Pats. I don't know what I'd do without you and Stan."

Patty shrugged. "It's really not a problem."

Eddie eyed her pregnant belly. "Little Stan is due any day now, huh?"

Patty laughed. "You've picked up on that nickname too, huh? But yeah, I've got about 2 more weeks to go before you and the rest of his uncles and aunt get to spoil him in person."

Eddie smiled softly. "I'm sorry we're all going to miss seeing Baby Uris for a while, but send us lots of pictures, ok?"

"Oh absolutely. The group chat will be filled with so many pictures of him you guys are gonna be sick of seeing him before you even get to meet him."

"Doubtful." Eddie turned to Owen. "Hey, why don't you go ahead and finish your snack while I go talk to Aunt Patty outside for a minute, ok?"

"Ok."

Eddie dropped a kiss onto the top of his son's head. "That's my boy."

He followed Patty outside. 

"What's up?" Patty asked.

Eddie sighed. "Myra can't take Owen for the summer because she's going to be out of the country helping her boyfriend with some sort of medical retreat and her parents aren't available to keep him either, so I'm going to have to take Owen on tour with me -- which means I have less than a week to find a sitter that's willing to travel cross-country on a tour bus for the next 3 months that Myra will approve of. I sent a text to Stan about it already."

Patty winced. "That's cutting it close, but I'm sure Stan will find someone."

Eddie gave Patty a hug goodbye and went back inside, where Owen had just finished his snack.

"Hey, bud, let's go into the living room for a minute," Eddie said. "I need to talk to you about something."

"About what, Daddy?" Owen replied, plopping himself onto Eddie's lap.

"You know how you were supposed to spend the summer with your mom at her house?"

Owen nodded.

"Well, she has to go far away for a special project for work, so how would you like to come with me on my tour instead? You'd get to ride the tour bus and see all sorts of neat and exciting places."

"You mean I'd get to hang out with you and Uncle Mike and Uncle Bill and Aunt Bev and Uncle Ben  _ all the time _ ?" Owen grinned excitedly.

Eddie smiled gently. "Well not  _ all _ the time because we'll still be working, but when we're not busy doing music stuff we'll get to do all sorts of fun and exciting things together."

"Yay!!!" Owen bounced in excitement.

"And also because of that you get to spend a whole week at your mom's house instead of just the weekend."

"Okay, Daddy."

Eddie gave his son a brief hug. "Now go get changed and I'll drop you off at your mom's house."

He watched as Owen ran upstairs to change, then pulled his phone out of his pocket as it chimed with a new text message alert.

**Stan: I know the perfect person and have already contacted him. He'll be emailing you soon to set up an interview.**

Eddie breathed out a sigh of relief. **_This is why you're the best, Stan_** **.**

He stood and grabbed his keys as Owen came running back down the stairs. "Ready to go, bud?"

Owen nodded. "Yeah!"

"Ok, let's load up then."

He buckled Owen up in the back seat before making the hour and a half drive to Myra's house. 

He pulled into Myra's driveway. "Be good for your mom, okay bud? I'll see you next Saturday."

"Bye Daddy!"

He watched as Owen ran up to Myra and gave her a hug, waved, and backed out of the driveway to head home.

He got home and sent out a text to the band's group chat.

**_Hey guys, just an FYI -- Myra can't keep Owen this summer so he's going to be joining us on tour_ **

**_But don't worry I'm hiring a nanny for him so he shouldn't be in anyone's way_ **

He smiled as replies immediately started rolling in.

**Mike: That's no problem! I love the little dude.**

**Bill: Maybe I can give him some guitar lessons on the bus… let me see if I can find my childhood guitar.**

**Bev: You know I always love spending time with my favorite nephew, you know it's not a bother!**

**Ben: I second what Bev said -- it'll be a delight to have him with us!**

**_Thanks, guys._ ** Eddie truly had the best friends in the world.

He stopped to pick up a salad on his way home, then grabbed his laptop before settling down at the kitchen table to eat.

He opened his email inbox and saw that he had a new message.

**To:** [ **EKaspbrak@gmail.com** ](mailto:EKaspbrak@gmail.com)

**From:** [ **Richie.Tozier@gmail.com** ](mailto:Richie.Tozier@gmail.com)

**Subject: Au-Pair Services**

**Mr. Kaspbrak,**

**My name is Richie Tozier and your manager, Stanley Uris, has informed me that you are in need of a traveling au-pair for the next 3 months. Attached you will find my CV and references from former clients. Please contact me at your earliest convenience to schedule an interview.**

**Sincerely,**

**Richie Tozier**

Eddie opened the attached document.

**RICHARD TOZIER**

**AU-PAIR**

**(207) 555-3776**

[ **Richie.Tozier@gmail.com** ](mailto:Richie.Tozier@gmail.com)

**Responsible, motivated individual seeks position as traveling au-pair for clients who are in need of prolonged, temporary supervision of their children.**

**Education:**

  * **B.A. in Early Education w/ a minor in Developmental Psychology, University of Maine**



**Other qualifications:**

  * **CPR Certified**


  * First Responder Certified



**References:**

**See attached**

_ Huh, impressive. _ He forwarded Richie's CV to Myra and peeked at his references. There were several names Eddie recognized on there as friends-of-friends and he made a mental note to call them in the morning. In the meantime he replied back to Richie.

**_To:_ ** [ **_Richie.Tozier@gmail.com_ ** ](mailto:Richie.Tozier@gmail.com)

**_From:_ ** [ **_EKaspbrak@gmail.com_ ** ](mailto:EKaspbrak@gmail.com)

**_Subject: Re: Au-Pair Services_ **

**_Mr. Tozier,_ **

**_Thank you for getting back with me so quickly and apologies for the short notice. I am indeed in need of an au-pair for my son while I'm on a multi-city tour with my band for the summer._ **

**_Stan's already sent me your fee and that sounds perfectly reasonable, so would tomorrow afternoon work for a phone interview? Say, 4 PM?_ **

**_Sincerely,_ **

**_Eddie Kaspbrak_ **

A reply came in almost immediately.

**To:** [ **EKaspbrak@gmail.com** ](mailto:EKaspbrak@gmail.com)

**From:** [ **Richie.Tozier@gmail.com** ](mailto:Richie.Tozier@gmail.com)

**Subject: Re: Re: Au-Pair Services**

**No apologies necessary, that's kind of how I roll.**

**4 PM is fine. And call me Richie, please.**

**Richie**

Eddie hit reply again.

**_To:_ ** [ **_Richie.Tozier@gmail.com_ ** ](mailto:Richie.Tozier@gmail.com)

**_From:_ ** [ **_EKaspbrak@gmail.com_ ** ](mailto:EKaspbrak@gmail.com)

**_Subject: Re: Re: Re: Au-Pair Services_ **

**_In that case, call me Eddie._ **

**_Talk to you tomorrow._ **

**_Eddie_ **

Eddie added Richie's number to his phone and mentally crossed his fingers that he would work out. Based on Richie's CV and references, however, it seemed like he would.

He sent Stan one final text before beginning to make a list of things to pack for Owen.  **_Richie's CV looked promising. Thanks again for the recommendation!_ **

He saved his list and added  _ 4 PM - Interview w/ Richie Tozier for au-pair position _ to his calendar for the next day.

Right before he headed to bed he received a text from Myra.  **I looked at that au-pair's CV. I assume you are also going to conduct a proper interview?**

**_Yes, Myra,_ ** he replied.  **_I have a phone interview scheduled with him for tomorrow afternoon._ **

**Ok. Let me know how it goes, but based on his CV I approve.**

Eddie blinked. He honestly hadn't been expecting Myra to approve that easily, but then again Richie's CV _had_ been very impressive.

He settled into bed, pulled up his favorite ASMR channel on YouTube, put his headphones on, and settled in to sleep.

Eddie spent the next morning contacting a few of Richie's former clients as references, who all raved about how wonderful and attentive he had been with their children.. "I begged him to stay on permanently," Kay McCall, who Eddie vaguely knew through Beverly, said. "Sophie and Aaron both just loved him and cried when filming was over."

Another one of Richie's former clients, Audra Phillips, also gave Richie a glowing review. "Richie's honestly the best au-pair I've ever hired for Axl. Your son's going to be in great hands."

The more Eddie spoke to Richie's references the better he felt, so by the time he dialed Richie number to conduct the interview he was pretty much ready to hire Richie on the spot.

He tapped his pen on his notebook as the phone rang.

"Richard Tozier speaking."

"Hi, Richie? This is Eddie Kaspbrak."

"Yes, hi. How are you?"

"I'm fine. You?"

"Peachy."

"Ok, great." Eddie looked at his list of questions. "You know, I had a list of questions to ask you but after reading your CV and talking to some of your former clients I don't think I actually need to ask you anything else, so do you have any questions for me?" 

"Why don't you tell me about your son."

"Well, his name is Owen and he's six, just finished first grade."

"What are his interests?"

"Well he likes to read and build stuff -- he's always asking me for new Lego sets."

"I see." Eddie could hear Richie jotting down notes. "Ok, so any allergies or illnesses I should know about?"

"No, no allergies or illnesses." Eddie had had Owen thoroughly tested -- after his own ordeal with his mother making him believe he was ill most of his childhood he wasn't taking any chances with his son being put in the same situation.

"Great. I think that's all the questions I had for you then."

"So do we have a deal?"

"Yessir. I'll send Stan my standard contract for you to sign, and I'll sign any kind of NDA or whatever he needs me to as well."

"I'll have Stan go ahead and book you a flight and hotel room for next Saturday, and Owen and I will pick you up Sunday morning?"

"Sounds awesome."

"Great. Thanks again, Richie."

"No problem. Looking forward to meeting you and Owen. He sounds like a great kid."

Eddie smiled. "He really is. He's my whole world."

"Ok, I'll see you Sunday. Give me a call if you have any questions about the contract or anything."

"Will do, and you do the same."

"Ok, bye then."

"Bye."

Eddie hung up.  _ One less thing to worry about. _ He had a feeling that Owen would be in good hands.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took forever... I've rewritten it no less than 3 times and in the end pretty much wound up going with what I had written in the first place.
> 
> Hopefully the rest of the story will be easier to write!

Eddie spent the week getting ready to leave on tour. Stan had sent Richie's contract over the following day, where Eddie had read, signed, and sent it back. He spent the rest of the week getting his house ready to be empty for the next three months, double-checking his suitcases and packing Owen's things.

Saturday afternoon, Myra dropped Owen off at Eddie's. "Thanks for letting me keep him this week," Myra said as Owen gave Eddie a quick hug then ran past him into the house.

"No problem," Eddie replied. "Have a safe trip, ok Myra?"

"You too, Eddie."

After Myra left, Eddie went back inside. "Hey Owen, bud, I know you just got home from Mom's but we need to finish getting you packed for our trip, ok? I got your clothes packed but the suitcase on your bed is for any toys or books or anything else you want to bring. I'll let you choose, but remember that we're going to be gone for a while so bring anything you might want to play with."

"Ok Daddy!" Owen said cheerfully. 

Eddie watched as his son selected several books, lego sets, and other toys and placed them carefully into his suitcase.

Once they were done Eddie checked the time. "How about pizza for dinner? As a special treat before we hit the road tomorrow."

"Yay!" Owen cheered. "Pizza!"

Eddie pulled out his phone and ordered a pizza for him & Owen to share. "Ok, why don't we go ahead and get a bath early, then when the pizza gets here we'll eat and watch a movie before bed?"

Eddie got Owen bathed and dressed in his favorite gray construction-themed pajamas, and had just headed back downstairs right as the doorbell rang.

Eddie got their pizza and brought it into the living room, then pulled up Owen's favorite movie on the living room TV for them to watch as they ate.

Once dinner was finished Eddie left Owen on the sofa as he bagged up the pizza box to take out to the trash in the morning. Stan and Patty would be keeping an eye on the house while they were gone, but Eddie still wanted to get his trash out to the road before they left just in case Baby Uris decided to arrive early.

He came back to find Owen fast asleep on the sofa.

Eddie felt a tug on his heart. He scooped Owen up in his arms and brought him upstairs to his bed, where he lay him down gently, tucked him in, and gave him a gentle kiss on his head. "Goodnight, my sweet boy," he whispered.

He went to his own room, showered, and crawled into his own bed, making sure his alarm was set before turning his bedside lamp off and drifting off to sleep.

As soon as his alarm went off the next morning, Eddie showered, dressed, and went through the house one last time to make sure everything was in order. He had just downed a cup of coffee when the doorbell rang.

"Hey Stan," he said. "Thanks for picking us up."

"No problem," Stan replied. "Owen still sleeping?"

"Yeah, I figured I'd let him sleep as long as possible. The last thing I need is to introduce Richie to a crabby six-year-old."

They loaded up Eddie and Owen's luggage into Stan's SUV then Eddie went to get Owen.

Owen gave a stir as Eddie scooped him up in his arms. "Is it time for our trip?" he said sleepily.

"Yeah, sure is, bud," Eddie replied softly.

"Okay." Owen yawned. "Can I wear my pajamas?"

"Yeah, that's fine. Here, put your slippers on too."

They made their way downstairs.

"Uncle Stan!" Owen said excitedly. "I get to go with Daddy on his tour!"

"I know, buddy," Stan said with a smile. "Are you excited?"

"Yeah!"

"Ok, let me make sure the lights are off…" Eddie said. "Set the alarm… ok, we're all set."

They all climbed into Stan's SUV and soon were on their way to pick up Richie.

Eddie shot Richie a quick text. **_On our way. ETA 15 minutes. I'll meet you in the lobby?_ **

**Ok, see you soon,** came Richie's immediate reply.

Stan glanced over at Eddie. "So the label is asking about what the lead single off the upcoming album will be…"

Eddie sighed. "I've been trying, Stan. Most of the time I stare at a blank piece of paper and the other times whatever I write wouldn't even be good enough for a middle-school poetry contest."

"Maybe we should look into some stuff by other writers--"

Eddie shook his head vehemently. "No. Absolutely not. Our songs are _our songs_ \-- they've always been Kissing Bridge originals."

"Eddie." Stan looked apprehensive. "They're not giving you a choice here."

Eddie's shoulders slumped. "Look, I'm just a little blocked right now and need some time. Can they at least give me until the end of the tour since we're not due back in the studio until fall anyway?"

"I'll talk to them."

"Thank you."

They pulled into the hotel's parking lot.

Eddie unbuckled his seatbelt and hopped out, opening Owen's door for him. "We'll be right back."

They walked into the mostly-empty lobby and Eddie spotted a dark-haired man sipping a cup of coffee and scrolling through his phone. He looked up and stood when he spotted Eddie and Owen.

Eddie's breath hitched. _Big_ , his mind supplied helpfully.

The man he presumed to be Richie was broad-shouldered and taller than Eddie by at least a good four inches. His unruly dark hair curled around his ears and he wore a bright orange Hawaiian shirt over a black tee, blue jeans, and black plastic-framed glasses that magnified his blue eyes and gave him a Buddy Holly-esque look.

Eddie thought he was _gorgeous_. 

"Hi, Eddie?"

Eddie blinked when he realized the man was addressing him. "Uh, yes, hi, you must be Richie." 

Richie reached out and shook Eddie's hand with a grin. "Nice to meet you, Eddie Spaghetti."

Eddie almost whimpered at the feel of Richie's big hand engulfing his own and briefly wondered if _everything_ about Richie was big. He cleared his throat. "It's Eddie."

Richie kneeled down to Owen's level. "And you must be Little Spaghetti, right?"

Owen giggled. "I'm Owen!"

Eddie stooped down as well. "Owen, this is Richie. He's going to be hanging out with you during the times Daddy has to work, ok?"

"Your dad tells me you like to build stuff," Richie said. 

Owen nodded again.

"Well, I have something here for you and me to put together later."

Richie unzipped a duffle bag next to him, pulled out a small Lego set, and handed it to Owen. "Here you go."

Owen looked at Richie like he had hung the moon. "Thank you!"

Eddie checked the time on his phone. "Okay, we have 1 more quick stop to make and then we'll meet everyone at the studio."

Richie straightened and grabbed his suitcases. "Shall we then?"

"Daddy, can Richie sit next to me?" Owen asked, still clutching his Lego set like it was priceless.

Richie chuckled. "Of course I'll sit by you, Little Spaghetti."

Eddie led them back to the SUV and helped Richie load his suitcases before climbing back into the front.

Stan turned and gave Richie a brief handshake. "Richie, nice to formally meet you. I'm Stan."

"Likewise," Richie replied.

"Had a nice flight in?" Stan asked as he guided the car out of the parking lot.

Richie shrugged. "Can't complain. I'm used to the travel. Jet lag's still always a pain though."

"Hey Stan," Eddie said. "Do you mind stopping at the Starbucks near the studio? I need another caffeine boost and I want to get some breakfast for Owen."

"Sure thing, Eddie."

"Richie, you want anything?"

"My order's a bit complicated so it's best for me to order myself, if you don't mind."

Eddie shrugged. "Ok."

Stan swung the car into the parking lot.

Eddie unbuckled his seat belt. "Owen, stay here with Uncle Stan, ok? Richie and I will be right back."

He got out of the car and headed inside, Richie trailing right behind him. "That was really nice of you to bring Owen a gift," he said as they entered the shop. "You didn't have to do that."

Richie shrugged. "Bringing a little something for the kids based on their individual interests usually helps with the bonding process."

"Well I definitely think it worked. You may have a new best friend."

Richie smiled. "Owen seems like a really sweet kid."

Eddie nodded. "He is. I'm lucky."

"Hi, welcome to Starbucks, what can I get started for you today?" the barista asked cheerfully as they reached the counter.

Eddie waved for Richie to go first.

"Yeah, can I get a venti latte with 3 pumps white mocha syrup, 3 pumps toffee nut syrup, extra whip, and caramel drizzle?" Richie said.

The barista punched in Richie's order. "Anything else?"

"Actually yeah, a venti Americano, no room for cream or sugar, a tall Chai tea latte, a turkey bacon sandwich, a butter croissant, and this." Eddie set a bottle of low-fat chocolate milk on the counter before turning to Richie. "You want anything for breakfast?"

"Uh…" Richie eyed the display case of pastries. "Chocolate croissant?"

"And a chocolate croissant." Eddie handed over his credit card before Richie could protest.

"Okay, everything will be at the end of the counter for you," the barista said as she handed Eddie his credit card and receipt.

"You didn't have to buy my breakfast," Richie said as he and Eddie moved down to the drink pickup area. "I'm not even really on the clock yet until tomorrow after we get to Seattle."

Eddie shrugged. "I said I'd pay for your meals, and technically your contract does start today." He paused as his Americano was set in front of him. "Although what even IS that drink? 6 pumps of syrup AND caramel drizzle?"

Richie grinned. "I told you it was complicated, but it's actually a close approximation to their caramel brulee latte, just with caramel drizzle instead of the crunchy bits."

Eddie wrinkled his nose as the overly-sweet drink was set in front of Richie.

Richie took a cautious sip then licked his lips. "Mmm. Delicious."

Eddie's eyes followed the path of Richie's tongue. _Stop ogling your son's au-pair!_ he mentally chided himself. _He's just here temporarily, then he'll be off to his next client. Besides, he's probably straight_.

He grabbed the rest of their items and marched towards the door. "Come on, we gotta get going."

Eddie handed Stan his latte before passing Owen his chocolate milk and the butter crossaint. 

The remainder of the drive was quiet as they ate their respective breakfasts, and soon they pulled into the parking lot of the studio.

"Hey Matt," Eddie greeted their tour bus driver. "This is Richie Tozier, he'll be watching Owen for me this summer. Richie, this is Matt Turin. He's been the driver on our tours for, what now, 8 years?"

Matt nodded. "Thereabouts."

"Nice to meet you," Richie said, giving Matt a handshake. 

"Same to you," Matt replied before turning back to Eddie. "You guys are the first ones here, so why don't you go ahead and load up and I'll get your bags?"

"Thanks, Matt."

Eddie took Owen's hand and led him up the steps of the bus to the table in the small kitchen area. "Owen, why don't you go ahead and have a seat and I'll get your bag with your toys and stuff?"

Richie slid in next to him. "You want to color? I have some really neat coloring sheets in my bag here."

"Okay."

Eddie stepped off the bus and grabbed Owen's suitcase with his toys and stepped back on to find Richie and Owen already coloring together.

Richie looked up and winked at Eddie and Eddie's heart fluttered. 

_It's going to be a long summer._


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's back???
> 
> It's been a struggle to write this past month, but I think I've broken through and got my creativity back! Hopefully future chapters won't have such a long gap in between uploads.

Eddie was concentrating on the mandela he was coloring in when he heard footsteps ascending the bus stairs. He looked up and smiled as he spotted a flash of red hair.

"Aunt Bev!" Owen said happily, wiggling his way out from in between Eddie and Richie.

Eddie watched as Owen ran to the front of the bus and wrapped his arms around Beverly's legs before getting up to follow him. 

"Hey there, sweetie!" Bev said, giving Owen a hug before pulling Eddie in for one as well. "Hey, Eddie."

"Hey there, Bev," Eddie replied, giving Beverly a fond squeeze. 

"Where's Uncle Ben?" Owen asked.

Beverly smiled. "He's outside helping Uncle Stan and Mr. Matt load up. You want to come with me to go see him?"

Owen turned to Eddie. "Daddy, can I?"

Eddie nodded. "Stay right by Aunt Bev, okay?"

"I will, Daddy!"

Eddie watched as Beverly took Owen by the hand and led him off the bus, then sat back down with Richie. "I'll introduce you to everybody once they're all here if that's okay."

Richie nodded. "Yeah, that's fine." He paused. "So you guys have known each other a long time?"

Eddie smiled. "Yeah, Bill, Stan, and I have been friends since elementary school, and we met Bev, Ben, and Mike in middle school."

"You must all be super close."

"They're the closest thing to family I have. They practically helped me raise Owen." 

"What about--"

A clamor at the front of the bus interrupted their conversation.

Eddie stood and he and Richie headed to the front of the bus as Owen, Bev, Ben, Bill and Mike all climbed aboard.

"Sorry Mike and I are late," Bill said. "We had to drop Mr. Chips off at Georgie's."

"Nah, you guys are right on time," Eddie replied. "Everyone, this is Richie Tozier. He'll be Owen's au-pair for the summer. Richie, this is Beverly Marsh-Hanscom, Ben Hanscom, Bill Denbrough, and Mike Hanlon, also known as the rest of The Kissing Bridge." 

Richie gave a little wave. "Nice to meet you all."

Stan came on board. "Ok, everything's all set. If you guys need anything just call me and I'll do what I can from here."

Eddie shook his head. "Hopefully everything goes smoothly. You just worry about Patty and the baby. Send us lots of pictures after he's born, 'kay?"

Stan grinned. "Will do. You guys stay safe, alright?"

Eddie nodded, giving Stan one more brief hug before going to sit on the sofa, while Ben, Bev, Mike, and Bill all dispersed in order to go get settled.

Matt climbed aboard once Stan had left. "Alright, let's get this show on the road!"

Owen tugged on Richie's shirt. "Can we put my Lego set together now?"

"Sure, Little Spaghetti," Richie replied. "Here, let's go over to the table."

Eddie watched with a smile as Richie and Owen began sorting pieces.

Bev came back up front and sat next to Eddie. "Looks like Owen has a new friend already."

Eddie smiled. "Yeah, Richie asked me about Owen's likes and hobbies during the interview and wound up bringing a Lego set for them to do together."

"Aww, that's sweet."

"Yeah."

Bev bit her lip. "Stan mentioned that the label was asking about the new single."

"Yeah, I managed to get a reprieve on it until after the tour is over." Eddie shrugged. "Haven't been inspired lately. Not really much to write about."

Bev placed a gentle hand on his arm. "You doing ok?"

Eddie sighed and shook his head. "I'm pretty sure Charles actually asked Myra to go with him so he could propose."

Bev winced. "Oh."

"Yeah."

"You know, Ben and I would love to have Owen spend the night if you ever wanted to go out to a club or something..." Bev trailed off.

Eddie snorted. "You know I'm not the casual type, so unless you know any hot, single guys that wouldn't mind someone that's practically got one foot still in the closet  _ and _ has a kid, I'm doomed to be single forever. I can just picture it -- 'Oh, excuse me, before we go out I need you to sign this NDA and give me three personal references so I can make sure you're not a serial killer.' Gee, yeah, that's sexy. I'll be sure to land a man that way."

He shook his head. "I'll be okay. It's just… Sometimes I look at you and Ben and Mike and Bill and I… I just feel so…  _ lonely _ . I mean, I love Owen with all my heart and wouldn't trade him for anything, but you guys are all so lucky that you have each other." 

Beverly gave him a hug. "You'll find someone, sweetie. I can feel it. And you never know, your song inspiration just might be right in front of you."

She stood as Owen came running up, followed closely by Richie.

"Daddy, look!" Owen excitedly shoved a completed Lego car into Eddie's hands.

Eddie examined the car. "Wow, bud, that's awesome! Did Richie help you put this together?"

"I mostly just supervised," Richie said. "Owen here is quite the little builder."

"He gets that from his dad," Beverly replied. "Eddie's really good with his hands too."

She winked and headed towards the back, followed by Owen, who was chattering about showing Ben his car.

Eddie flushed at Bev's statement. "I, uh, I was studying to become a mechanic before the band made it big, but I still fix up cars as a hobby," he explained. "I actually just finished restoring a 1966 Ford Mustang GT convertible that I bought a couple of months ago."

"Nice," Richie said. "I love the '66 Mustang. Maybe you can show it to me when we get back to L.A.?"

An offer to take Richie for a drive was on the tip of Eddie's tongue, but he bit it back. _Why do I keep wanting to hit on this guy?_ he thought, then mentally snorted. _Well duh, it's obvious._ _He's exactly my type -- tall, broad, handsome, and Owen already adores him._ He rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I can definitely show it to you. It's a beautiful car."

"Awesome." 

Eddie cleared his throat. "So, have you been to Seattle before?"

"Oh, uh, yeah, a few times with clients. I was thinking of taking Owen to a couple of museums while we're there. In fact, I made a list of places to take Owen in each city." Richie pulled out his phone and scrolled through a list of the various zoos, museums, and amusement parks located in each tour stop. "I was thinking of taking him to the Pacific Science Center and the Aquarium on Friday while you guys are in rehearsal. You know, make it fun but sneakily educational."

"That sounds great. Just let me know how much the entrance fee is to each and I'll give you the cash for it ahead of time since that wasn't already factored into your fees." 

Eddie stood. "Well, I better get Owen settled in. I'm sure he's going to want to nap soon since I woke him up early this morning."

Richie chuckled. "Right. Hell hath no fury like a crabby six-year-old."

Eddie grinned. "You have no idea."

"Alrighty, I'm gonna go get settled in myself."

"If you need anything else, let me know, ok?"

Richie nodded. "Will do." He clapped Eddie on the shoulder and Eddie was reminded just how big Richie's hands were.  _ Fuck.  _ Maybe Bev was right-- maybe he did need to just go out and find a casual fling.

Either way, Eddie had to get his son's gorgeous au-pair off of his mind.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Starting to earn the rating here...

"...And we saw the seals, and the fishies, and the puppins!" Owen excitedly told Eddie as they and Richie were having dinner together in the green room before the Kissing Bridge's first show of their tour.

"'Puffins', buddy. Remember?" Richie gently reminded him.

Owen giggled. "Oh yeah. _Puffins._ Those were my favorite."

"Well it sounds like you had a good time with Richie at the aquarium today then," Eddie said.

"Yeah, it was fun!"

"Great, I'm glad to hear that!" 

"Oh hey, Owen," Richie said, pulling a placemat-sized laminated map of North America and a black Sharpie out of his messenger bag. "Remember the other day when you asked me what places we would be visiting and when we would be going home? Well I got you this map so we could track all the places we're going to go, so you can know how many more stops we have before we go home." 

Eddie watched as he quickly marked all of the tour stops.

  * _Seattle, WA_


  * _Boise, ID_


  * _Billings, MT_


  * _Denver, CO_


  * _Lincoln, NE_


  * _Chicago, IL_


  * _Detroit, MI_


  * _Toronto, ON, Canada_


  * _Montreal, QBC, Canada_


  * _Portland, ME_


  * _New York City, NY_


  * _Boston, MA_


  * _Philly, PA_


  * _Charlotte, NC_


  * _Memphis, TN_


  * _Atlanta, GA_


  * _Tallahassee, FL_


  * _Jackson, MS_


  * _New Orleans, LA_


  * _Houston, TX_


  * _Dallas, TX_


  * _Oklahoma City, OK_


  * _Santa Fe, NM_


  * _Las Vegas, NV_
  * _Los Angeles, CA_



"Ok, here's your home." He pointed to L.A. on the map, then pointed to Seattle. "And here is where we are now. So we're going to draw a line from home to here…" He drew a line connecting the two cities. "And tomorrow when we get to the next city we'll draw a line from here to there. Okay?" 

Owen nodded. "Okay." 

"That's a brilliant idea," Eddie said.

Richie shrugged. "I figured it was the easiest way to explain it, plus now he'll have something visual to refer to."

"You're just a regular Mary Poppins, aren't you?" Eddie marveled. "Practically perfect in every way."

Richie laughed. "Oh I'm far from perfect. I'm just trained to know how young minds think and what stimuli they respond to." 

Eddie took a sip of his hot tea with honey and lemon. "I don't know if that's it. I've honestly never seen Owen bond with anyone so quickly." 

Richie smiled. "He's easy to bond with, honestly. I know it can't be easy being a single parent, especially one with a schedule such as yours, but believe me when I say that you're doing a great job. Owen's a fantastic kid." 

Eddie smiled. "Thanks, Rich."

Richie stood. "Welp, it's almost showtime. I better get Little Spaghetti here situated. Owen, buddy, it's almost time for your dad's show, so we're gonna go hang out on the bus until he's done and it's time to leave, is that ok?"

Owen nodded. "Can we watch movies on your computer?"

Richie chuckled and nodded. "For a little while."

"Okay." Owen gave Eddie a hug. "Love you, Daddy."

"Love you too, bud."

"Knock 'em dead, Eds," Richie added, then took Owen by the hand and led him out of the green room.

Eddie watched them leave, then shook his head. _Focus_. He had a show to do.

* * *

"Thank you so much Seattle. We are The Kissing Bridge -- good night!"

Eddie vibrated with energy as they exited the stage.

"God, I love the first stop of a new tour," Bill said as the applause continued.

"Me too," Mike agreed. "The crowd always gives such good vibes."

They made their way back to the green room to collect their things. 

"Hey, I'm gonna go head back to the bus to shower and check on Owen," Eddie said. 

"Ok, see you soon then," Ben replied.

Eddie made his way back to the bus without running into any fans and climbed aboard. 

He swallowed. Richie was stretched out on the sofa wearing soft gray sweatpants and a gray tank top that showed off his shoulders and arm muscles. His wet hair curled wildy around his head, making it clear that Richie had just showered.

Eddie wanted to bury his nose in Richie's hair, smell the fresh cleanliness of Richie's body, taste the residual soap flavor on his skin…. _Jesus, I really need to get laid._

Richie looked up from the book he was currently reading. "Hey, man. How was the show?"

Eddie swallowed. "Good, great. Crowd was amazing."

"Glad to hear it." Richie set his book down. "Owen's asleep. Went to bed with no fuss about an hour ago."

"Good." Eddie ran a hand through his hair, grimacing at the sweat. "Well I'm uh, I'm gonna go shower. Everyone else should be back in a bit then we'll head to Boise."

Richie nodded then returned to his book. "Ok, man, have a good night."

Eddie checked on Owen, who was sound asleep, then went to the bathroom and started up the shower. He stripped down and stepped in, relaxing at the feel of the warm water on his skin. He washed his hair and scrubbed down his body before sliding a hand down to his cock.

Normally when Eddie jerked off in order to relieve post-show adrenaline he imagined a generic, faceless man. Tonight, he couldn't help but imagine that it was Richie whispering filthy things into his ear, Richie's hand wrapped around his hard, aching cock, the long fingers of Richie's other hand sliding down Eddie's back, down to his ass, just barely pressing inside his tight, waiting entrance...

Eddie bit back a cry as he came, the euphoric feel of sweet release filling his bones. He leaned a hand against the shower wall, taking a moment to catch his breath.

_Holy shit._

He rinsed off once again and got dressed before heading to bed, where he fell asleep almost immediately, dreaming of large hands and piercing blue eyes.


End file.
